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Location notes
Manea, Cambridgeshire, on Ely-Peterborough line.
Railway type and traffic
Passenger services: Central Trains class 158 and 170 DMUs, Greater Anglia class 150, 153 and 170 DMUs. Several per hour each way. Freight services: DB Schenker (mainly 66s, some 60s), Freightliner (66s), GBRf (66s), plus infrastructure services to and from Whitemoor Yard.
Environment
An unstaffed station in the middle of the fens, over a mile from Manea village. Signalbox is staffed; a few houses nearby. You will probably see no-one else! There is a 'bus shelter' on the down (westbound) platform, which has a seat in it.
Road directions
Situated on B1093, about a mile north of the village.
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Manea Station map co-ordinates
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Manea Station map co-ordinates
Parking
Park at the side of the road, near the level crossing (there is an open space).
Public transport
Manea station has almost no train service. The local bus operator is Stagecoach Cambus, which runs to Manea village, but probably very infrequently.
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Amenities
Chip shop and a few other shops in Manea village (just over 1 mile away), also a pub. Otherwise, nearest town is March - with the usual Sainsbury's and Tesco supermarkets and other amenities.
Sun Compass
Sun Compass using Suncalc by brought to you by Vladimir Agafonkin:
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Manea Station
Streetmap links
Manea Station general view map
Manea Station close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Manea Station
It might be necessary to adjust the time to suit your visit, this link should open with the current day.
Manea Station
Googly map
Manea Station general view map
Manea Station close up map
Windows Local Live Link - image quality may vary
Manea Station
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Railway Gen Group
Photographic notes
The line runs north east - south west. There are a level crossing (with siren and full barriers), ex-GER signalbox and semaphore signals. There are no station buildings other than a 'bus shelter'. The level crossing and mechanical signalling gives plenty of warning of trains approaching, but note that it is not possible to cross the line once the crossing barriers are down.
Up (eastbound) trains - best lighting from mid to late morning until mid afternoon (or later without the sun on the nose). Stand on the country end of the down (westbound) platform. A long (200mm) lens is very useful to reach the semaphore signals, as is a long freight rather than a 2-car DMU! Watch for shadows from trees in the winter. Up trains can also be shot from the up platform earlier in the morning, but the shot is much more head-on.
Down (westbound) trains - not so good, but acceptable. From late morning (mid afternoon for the sun on the nose) stand on the open area by the road on the south side of the level crossing - a set of steps might be helpful to see over some of the vegetation. With a short or medium telephoto lens this pulls in the disused loading gauge. Walking a short distance down the road past the houses gives a shot across the fields, with trains (and signals) in the distance - this would be good for videos. Alternatively, there is a fairly head-on shot from the down platform, which can include the signalbox. A shot is also possible from the up platform in the morning, although without the sun on the nose - this includes the signalbox.
There is also a going away shot of up trains as they pass the box, taken from the down platform - the sun is on the 'nose' (the back of the train) from mid to late afternoon.
Up (eastbound) trains - best lighting from mid to late morning until mid afternoon (or later without the sun on the nose). Stand on the country end of the down (westbound) platform. A long (200mm) lens is very useful to reach the semaphore signals, as is a long freight rather than a 2-car DMU! Watch for shadows from trees in the winter. Up trains can also be shot from the up platform earlier in the morning, but the shot is much more head-on.
Down (westbound) trains - not so good, but acceptable. From late morning (mid afternoon for the sun on the nose) stand on the open area by the road on the south side of the level crossing - a set of steps might be helpful to see over some of the vegetation. With a short or medium telephoto lens this pulls in the disused loading gauge. Walking a short distance down the road past the houses gives a shot across the fields, with trains (and signals) in the distance - this would be good for videos. Alternatively, there is a fairly head-on shot from the down platform, which can include the signalbox. A shot is also possible from the up platform in the morning, although without the sun on the nose - this includes the signalbox.
There is also a going away shot of up trains as they pass the box, taken from the down platform - the sun is on the 'nose' (the back of the train) from mid to late afternoon.
General views - All photographs © Brian Carter unless otherwise stated
Fig 1 - Looking west
The classic shot at Manea, looking towards March with an eastbound train - late morning or early afternoon is best for the light. This was taken on 19th February 1999 using a 200mm lens.
Fig 2 - Looking east
Looking towards Ely with a westbound light engine, taken from the area by the side of the road, using a 135mm lens (I think), also in February 1999. A set of steps is useful when doing this shot, which can also be done with a shorter lens. As far as I know, the brakevan (behind the 'X40' sign) is still on the disconnected remains of the former down loop.
Disclaimer
All information contained within this is site is © Trainspots. The images used on this site remain the property of the original photographer, as credited at the top of the page, and are used with their kind permission.
The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.
This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavour to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.
Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.
Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass on either railway or private land. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.
The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window. Trainspots has been running now for over 10 years and there are imitation sites and guides to railfotspots. But we are a free site and we continue on the path we started out on over a decade ago to provide a useful guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.
The information on these pages is supplied for the benefit of railway enthusiasts who carry out a harmless hobby, and through the medium of photography and video, actually promote the railway industry. Railway enthusiasts can also act as eyes and ears against railway vandalism, and as such should surely be encouraged to do so by the supply of adequate information such as is found on this website.
This site has been created to assist railway photographers in their travels around the country. It is based on the personal knowledge and experience. No liability can be held against the web site or its contributions for incorrect information. Trainspots will endeavour to check all information and corrections will be accepted and posted accordingly.
Advice as to the locations general environment is given as a guide on each page. This information is a GUIDE only. ALWAYS be careful with your equipment, Trainspots can not be held responsible for your personal security. Avoid leaving your property on display for all to see, be aware of your surroundings at all times. There are, sadly, people who will not think twice about trying to steal your equipment.
Trainspots DOES NOT condone trespass and none of the information on this site should be taken as a right to trespass on either railway or private land. To the best of our knowledge all locations are publicly accessible areas, where they are not contact information will be given to the appropriate authority for permission to be obtained.
The content of this site is created and intended for all age ranges but the content of sites linked from this site are not subject to the same intentions. Trainspots will attempt to check links for validity but as time passes and the site grows this will not always be possible. Broken, or indeed updates to, links should be submitted to the editor for inclusion in the updates. All links external to the Trainspots site are opened in a new browser window. Trainspots has been running now for over 10 years and there are imitation sites and guides to railfotspots. But we are a free site and we continue on the path we started out on over a decade ago to provide a useful guide to UK Railway Photographic Locations.
